Dubfire

Biography

Growing up in the Washington, DC area, Dubfire spent much of his youth playing the guitar in school bands and listening to heavy doses of classic hip hop, jazz/rare groove, dub, new wave and industrial and was also influenced by the local punk scene and the music of Washington DC-based bands including Fugazi and Minor Threat. He frequented a local record store called Yesterday And Today Records, where he became acquainted with the sounds of artists like Kraftwerk, Ministry, Jesus & Mary Chain, Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb, Adrian Sherwood of On-U Sound and Einstürzende Neubauten.

In 1991, Shirazinia and fellow DC resident Sharam Tayebi formed Deep Dish, a DJ and production duo that became notable for their productions and DJ sets. Deep Dish released acclaimed dance classics beginning with the 1995 remix of De'Lacy's "Hideaway", and went on to work with an eclectic array of names in pop, rock and electronica. Sharam and Dubfire established Deep Dish Records, and they went on to win a Grammy in 2002 for their remix of Dido's "Thank You" along with many other high-profile awards. Following their successes as Deep Dish, both Sharam and Dubfire began to produce and DJ individually claiming "[they] got bored doing the same thing. [They've] always been separate producers and separate DJs who have just collaborated together for all these years."

Shirazinia used his long-time stage name "Dubfire" for his solo productions. His solo sound differs noticeably from that of Deep Dish, consisting of minimal, techno, and house rather than the predominantly progressive house sound of Deep Dish. His production I Feel Speed, which is a cover of an obscure Love & Rockets song, features his own vocals. Dubfire also sings in In Love With a Friend on Deep Dish's debut album. I Feel Speed has appeared in the advertisement of the Volkswagen Eos.

In 2007, Dubfire announced the launch of his new record label, Science + Technology Digital Audio, also known simply as SCI + TEC. He set the label up as an outlet to release his new music and began quietly unleashing a string of remarkable tracks. In 2007, he released electro-tech track "Roadkill," while the stripped-back 'RibCage' became the first ever release on Loco Dice's Desolat label.

Dubfire followed up with an onslaught of dancefloor-igniting releases, landing on some of electronic music's leading labels. Richie Hawtin, who signed Dubfire's "Emissions" to his highly respected Minus label, also released Dubfire's rework of 'Spastik' (the classic track that Hawtin produced in 1993 under his Plastikman alias) as an official re-work. Soon thereafter, Sven Vath's Cocoon Records took notice and released some of Dubfire's music as well.

He continued to release more productions. He had two top 10 tracks in Resident Advisor's 100 Most Charted Records of 2007, International DJ Magazine's Player of the Year in 2008, nominations for Beatport's "Best Minimal Artist" and "Best Techno Artist" in 2008 and 2009, covers on countless music magazines, mixes for Mixmag, BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix and DJ Magazine.

In 2008, Dubfire produced a remix of Radio Slave's "Grindhouse" featuring Danton Eeprom. It crossed nearly every genre and was the apex of a unique sound that DJ Magazine called "jet-black, polished chrome techno".

Dubfire's recent work has seen him co-produce tracks with celebrated British electronic music act Underworld, release a two-disc compilation with Loco Dice for Cocoon, additional remixes of Plastikman material, and a collaborative project with respected producer Oliver Huntemann. Throughout his remarkable journey, Dubfire's SCI+TEC label has continued to grow and is now home to a roster of globally-based artists.

Singles/EPs

Compilations

Remixes

Awards and nominations